PrEP Use and Persistence Among Young Sexual Minority Men 17–24 Years Old During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to health care access for sexual and gender minorities in the U.S. We sought to explore the impact of COVID-19 on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use and sexual health services by assessing PrEP eligibility and use, changes in sexual behaviors, and HIV/STI testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 239 young sexual minority men (YSMM) 17–24 years old between April and September 2020 in the U.S. One-in-seven YSMM PrEP users discontinued use during the pandemic, and all those who discontinued PrEP reported a decrease in sexual activity. Twenty percent reported difficulty getting prescriptions and medications from their doctors or pharmacies, and more than 10% reported challenges accessing HIV/STI testing. Among those who met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for PrEP (n = 104), 86.5% were not currently using PrEP. Among those surveyed 3 months or later after the start of major COVID-19 stay-at-home measures (n = 165), 35.8% reported CAS with a causal partner within the past 3 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeking HIV testing was associated with reporting condomless anal sex in the previous 3 months, indicating the necessity for ensuring continuity of basic sexual health services for YSMM. Failure to adequately adjust HIV prevention services and intervention in the face of pandemic-related adversity undermines efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.